The Black Sheep and the Mitsuki Mask

By Nicholas Matz

Nicholas P. Matz was born in Lubbock, Texas and raised in various parts of southern New Jersey. He currently resides in eastern New Mexico. Aside from writing, his various artistic interests include music, painting, pen and ink and photography.
He hopes that with this book he can illustrate a vision of the world from the perspective of some of the people who have not been completely accepted by it, dedicating this work to those who have been silenced or pushed aside, and to those who have found some level of comfort inside that void.


THE BLACK SHEEP and THE MITSUKI MASK tells a story of the unwanted, and of those who will come to want them. It is the story of The boy, an outsider in an unbroken chain of outsiders, who has fallen into an empty well and lost his memory. Alone in the dark, The boy finds company with an invisible voice. This mysterious new companion will lead him through the process of recovering his memories. Through those memories he will learn who he is and hopefully how he has come to be in this place.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 6, 2013
• ISBN: 9781479764563

Nicholas Matz

Nicholas P. Matz was born in Lubbock, Texas and raised in various parts of southern New Jersey. He currently resides in eastern New Mexico. Aside from writing, his various artistic interests include music, painting, pen and ink and photography. He hopes that with this book he can illustrate a vision of the world from the perspective of some of the people who have not been completely accepted by it, dedicating this work to those who have been silenced or pushed aside, and to those who have found some level of comfort inside that void.

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Copyright © 2013 by Nicholas Matz.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

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Chapter One

The speckled and spotted sheep had been allowed to live now for three years and already the creature’s disfigurements had become very severe. This sheep in particular was born with disfigurements that would prove to be more severe than the other imperfect sheep in the flock, all of the animal’s legs had been broken somehow during the birthing process, healing at different lengths and unusual angles making the process of learning to walk a slow and painful lesson. The animal’s neck would suddenly and unexpectedly bend its head to strange and unexpected angles and the sound that would come from the animal at these times was more like the sound of many people all in pain and fear than like the sound of any animal.

Inside of those three years the speckled and spotted sheep had been allowed to live more for the sake of spectacle and show than any practical purpose. Because the creature could not tend for itself, not even able to walk on its own for more than a few feet the animal had become a burden to its owners and the sounds of human fear and pain that came from the sheep’s mouth had begun to frighten the people who heard them.

The decision was eventually made by the people and spectators to kill the animal; this decision would also be backed by the people of the village. A meeting would be held in the town hall of the village and the vote would come in that the best and most efficient way to kill the animal was to take it to one of the many empty wells on the north eastern side of the village and cast the sheep in. They would first kill the animal and then hide it from sight.

The people gathered together that night as soon as it was dark and, on the third year of the sheep’s life it was placed into a wheeled cart and taken to a field where there was an empty well that the people had chosen. Once they had arrived at their destination the people cast the sheep, without ritual or hesitation into the bottom of the empty well.

The spectators and people of the village had however, in their haste forgotten to kill the animal before casting it into the empty well and the speckled and spotted sheep would survive the fall to the bottom of the well. From that point on, every day just after dark the sounds of human pain and fear that the sheep let out, would be heard coming from the well on the north eastern side of the village.

Throughout the years the spectators and people of the village would not forget what they had done to the speckled and spotted sheep. They were, however all secretly ashamed of their deed and the event would be covered up and dismissed. Speaking about their actions was prohibited not only to outsiders but even among themselves. The repercussions for speaking of it were severe and the threat was made that anyone caught speaking of it would be cast into the well with the sheep.

The sounds of human pain and fear that the animal made would, however continue to come from the long empty well on the north eastern side of the village, daily just after dark. They would decrease in volume over time and the sounds would only be heard by wandering children and vagrants passing by the empty wells on the north eastern side of the village. The story of the animal had become a myth, a tall tale told by the children of the village.

Over time the size and value of the village flock would increase. Healthy and without blemish the flock would be considered a good flock. The birthing of the sheep from then on would go smoothly more often than not after the elimination of the deformed animal and the size and value of the flock continued to increase.

II.

The girl awoke at the kitchen table, she opened her eyes and while they adjusted to the half-light of the kitchen she would try to put together the pieces of a dream before they were gone forever. It seemed to have something to do with a deformed animal, a sheep cast into a dark hole, something about the value of the flock at large increasing after the removal of the animal and something else about how the creature had survived, turning the cries of the forgotten animal into an under the table tall tale.

The girl was completely awake now. The memory of a trip she had taken that afternoon had brought her into complete and total awareness very fast. She had missed her period by two weeks and had decided to steal and use one of her mother’s pregnancy tests, her mother wouldn’t be needing them, (or would she? thought The girl); the results led her to the decision that she should schedule an appointment with their doctor, somehow without the knowledge of her mother. A friend of hers had told her about a free clinic in the village which she lived in, that offered more accurate testing than the stolen pregnancy test and also medical advice. She had made the appointment for earlier that afternoon and was told that the clinic would call her at home as soon as the results came back.

Almost an entire month had gone by, an entire month of side stepping her mother, answering the phone in the kitchen and an entire month of anticipation, waiting to know what direction to take in the course of her life after this point and not being able to make that decision. That Monday afternoon the phone call that she had waited for would finally come. That month anyone who came near the girl could almost feel the anticipation that she felt with her physically and now that phone call had eventually come and an appointment was scheduled for her to receive her results and medical advice. She would not be able to wait at home any longer after that phone call leading her to be at her appointment two full hours before it was scheduled to be, her anxiety growing faster than ever now that she was so close to knowing the answers for sure.

The nurse finally came in with the doctor and the results were given to the girl, who was told that she was in fact with child. The girl was healthy but because the results were positive the clinic and the doctor felt that they were obligated to inform her mother. They told her that because she had been so patient and on time that they would give her a few days to inform her mother on her own.

The girl did not know how or if the clinic would be able to tell her mother before she had a chance to do it on her own, with the exception of her phone number she had given them nothing but false information when she made the appointments. It was possible that someone who worked there knew her mother from somewhere and had recognized her, or even that they would call and inform whoever answered the phone.

The real debate was not if she would tell her mother, but how and when. Her mother was going to find out one way or another, even if the clinic did not tell her, the girl had decided to keep the baby and her mother would eventually notice. If she gave the news and the decision to keep the baby to her mother, she would at least be able to prepare herself for the conversation before it was put into motion and maybe even prove something to her about her level of initiative and determination.

The girl had returned to her house and gone inside. She sat down at the kitchen table, placed her head into the palms of her hands and silently wept, there were tears but no sound. More information had passed through her mind and heart since this morning than had passed through her heart and mind in a long time. Some of the information was positive, some of it was negative and some of it was somewhere in between the two poles but it would all need to be analyzed with an equal amount of scrutiny before she could tell her mother anything. That analysis would need to be made in the next few days, before the clinic had the chance to tell her mother for her. The girl knew in her heart only one thing for sure, that from now on she would know herself and be known by others as The young mother.

Placing her head back into her hands the girl continued the silent weeping due to her confusion. She had decided there at the table that she would tell her mother in the morning, before the stress of the day had a chance to set in on any one. Telling her then would give her the opportunity to rest her mind, and also her heart. She had wept long enough and it was almost time for dinner, she would need to clean and prepare herself for the meal that was usually the last of the daily gatherings, changing her clothes and clearing her eyes.

The evening meal, while stressful went without event and after the evening meal The young mother left her house again. It was still early and The young mother wanted to inform her friend, who had told her about the clinic, the news of her pregnancy. As she walked, she looked at the stars and moon, wondering what kind of things this twist in her story would add and what it would eliminate from her story, what it could have been and what it would be from now on.

The young mother had reached her companions house and knocked on the front door. Her companion’s parents had answered and called her down from her room. Her anxiety was growing by the second; every heart beat brought the next heart beat on faster than the last one. She could hardly wait to tell someone the results of her trip to the clinic and the news of her pregnancy, and she was glad that first someone was her friend.

The young mother and her companion sat on the front porch, waiting until they were sure her companion’s parents were not listening. The tension in The young mother’s chest was so powerfully tight by now that she could not wait a moment longer to give the news to someone, saying to her companion, I am sure that you noticed, I was not around anywhere today. I was not being unproductive though, I went to the clinic that you told me about and they told me that I was definitely going to have a child, if that was what I wanted to do.

The tears of her heart and mind filled her eyes and The young mother further stated I am so very confused right now but I am also so excited that I simply had to tell someone, you are the only real friend I have and also the only person who gave me any advice about what to do, you told me about that clinic and I thought that person should be you.

The tears of her companion’s heart and mind had now begun to fill her eyes as well and she said to her friend, The young mother. Does your family know yet, about the pregnancy? What about your mother, have you told her? Have you told anyone yet? What are you going to do? You must be so excited; I am so excited for you.

The young mother’s companion reached over hugging her gently, thinking that she must be more delicate now that her friend was pregnant, and they cried together tears of relief and excitement. Finally The young mother responded saying to her companion I have not told anyone but you anything at all. The clinic said that they were going to tell my mother after a few days, but I gave them a false name and address. I am going to tell my mother in the morning before the stress of the day has a chance to set in on either of us. I have decided to tell her just before breakfast when it is just me and her in the kitchen, that way I do not have to tell everyone in my family all at once. I have to go back home now but I will tell you what my mother says and how she takes the news when I see you next, tomorrow morning after breakfast.

Her companion said to her I will see you in the morning then, I will be waiting to talk to you about it all night until then. Both of them then cleared their eyes with the back of their hands and with a quick embrace said their good night for the evening.

The young mother then headed back to her own house. The trip she had taken to give her companion the news had not taken very long but she had spent more time there than she had originally intended. When she arrived at home it was dark and quiet inside the house, meaning that the others there were already asleep in their rooms or preparing to be that way soon.

The young mother did not know what to think as she quietly entered in to her bed room. The combination of stress factors and the analyzing of that information had exhausted her thoughts and emotions; she would fall asleep easily that night. She had vented some of that tension to her companion and they would analyze more of that information tomorrow when they finished the conversation that they had started this evening. She laid her head down on her pillow and once she was completely into her bed sleep overtook her quickly.

Before The young mother knew, it was morning and she was awake again. The sleep that she had gotten the night before was not nearly as satisfying as she had hoped it would be and still it was time to wake up and prepare for the day ahead. Cleaning and preparation for the day was a quick process and went smoothly. Once finished The young mother headed into the kitchen where her mother was already. As she entered they said their good mornings without incident and the tension of the oncoming conversation built inside of The young mother.

The young mother prepared herself and her mother a cup of coffee and sat across from her at the kitchen table. Her siblings were not awake yet and her step father was already gone, leaving only the two of them in the kitchen that morning to talk in private. Her heart was already beating fast and hard due to the anxiety that she felt about breaking the news to her mother and the longer she held the silence the harder and faster her heart beat became.

The tension of The young mother had reached the point where it was becoming visible to her mother from across the kitchen table and her mother seeing that tension said to her, What exactly is on your mind this morning, the girl? I know that it is something. I can see the stress in your eyes and on your face, your hands are shaking and you have not said more than two words to me this morning. Tell me what is it that is on your mind this morning the girl, maybe if you tell me what it is I could help you with it. Maybe I could give you some sort of advice so that you could help yourself; I know how independent you like to be. What is your dilemma? Maybe you are having trouble in school, is it your school work or something to do with the other children there? Is it one of your siblings, have they said or done something to you? Maybe you have had another argument with your step father? If you don’t tell me what your dilemma is then I cannot help you, or even help you to help yourself, The girl, if that is what I decided to do.

Her mother had called her The girl but she knew in her heart that she was The young mother now and that as soon as she told her mother the news, her mother would tell her step father, who would tell her brothers, who would tell her sister and she would be The young mother in the eyes and hearts of her family before the end of the day ahead. She held her silence for a moment longer while she debated the most appropriate way to give the news to her mother. Deciding that the simplest way would be the most effective she said to her mother. The other day I stole one of your maternity tests from out of the bathroom and because of the results of that I went to the clinic here in town. I built up my courage for a little while and then yesterday afternoon I went back to pick up the results. The results from the clinic came back positive; they said to me that I was pregnant. The people at the clinic said that because she knew you she would have to tell you about it but that they would give me a few days to tell you about it on my own. With the exception of our phone number I had given them false information but that does not matter because I wanted to be the one who told you anyway. I wanted to tell you when it was just you and me, before the stress of the day could set in on either one of us, so that we could talk.

There was plenty of time for them to talk before The young mother’s siblings awoke and now, for a while it was just the two of them. Her mother did not know how to respond to The young mother right away and after holding the silence for a short moment that seemed to last forever she said to The young mother, with a disappointed, sideways look, "If talking about it is what you want to do this morning, then that is what we will do. Right away, I